Cooking for one

moneyistooshorttomention

Admits to doing some mindless tv watching if I want to switch off from "Life - and other problems". In my case it tends to be detective type programmes at the moment.

Preferably not formulaic - "Here we go - more of the same again". So Vera has been a recent favourite for instance.

Still not sorted re my video:(:o. So I tend to watch anything I've missed on Catch Up on computer.

Now got a nice new computer screen - much bigger and with some sort of fancy "wotever-it-is" in it that means the picture shows up "in a decent light" - rather than being too dark to see very well at most angles. Plus being able to blow the picture up to much bigger size as well. Distinct improvement.

It was a struggle as well to see YouTube exercise videos from a position of standing up actually doing them in the room - so the "blowing it up to a much bigger screen" facility helps a lot with that.

PasturesNew

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Is it your PC or your broadband that is slow?

It might be worth checking out some broadband deals here on MSE... then you could use Now TV (super, super cheap if you buy the box from Amazon) and buy movie passes for Christmas for Sky Movies for the festive period.

You can check what speeds are available from the different providers here:

https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/postcode_checker/

Personally, I'd now give up a lot before I gave up broadband for streaming.

You could get a Now TV box (£15 for a box with a two month pass to Sky Movies on Amazon) and watch movies/TV from Youtube on your TV - I'm watching Blake's 7 (the old 70s sci fi) from there... there's loads of the oldies all available free.

I became a bit of an expert in watching TV whilst recovering from my shoulder op... somehow I can't shake the addiction .
Loafing, watching old films on the goggle box and scoffing popcorn... paradise .

It's my broadband - it's under 2MB download speed. Faster never used to be an option, it might now be but it's too pricey for me.

PC is old, cost me £200 brand new in 2006. 40GB HD (total free space about 300MB each time I run CCleaner daily) and about 1GB of memory. It just buffers...

There are a raft of reasons I don't get into the 21st century - knowledge, inability to make decisions, cost... and I'm not that bothered in a way.

Tiddlywinks

PasturesNew wrote: »

There are a raft of reasons I don't get into the 21st century - knowledge, inability to make decisions, cost... and I'm not that bothered in a way.

Being a crusty old git myself I get that... some things that kids take for granted just amaze me. It's like black magic .

I dropped my laptop months ago and cracked the casing and it's getting worse... every night I look for a replacement model, can't make a decision, decide I'll make do and then angst about it... rinse and repeat. A like for like replacement would be £600 and now I' not working I can't justify spending that.

PasturesNew

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

... can't make a decision, decide I'll make do and then angst about it... rinse and repeat. ... not working....

Yep

I'm 'petrified' that once it arrives it'll need something else I've not got - some magic lead, or connection or something complex - AND - the next day there'll be a huge sale and it'll have been half price.

I've wanted/needed a new PC for about 5 years...but wouldn't know where to start. My last one somebody pointed to one and said "Get that" and I did .... I don't have that informed person in my circle any more.

PasturesNew

After I ate the WHOLE biryani last night I nodded off ... and woke up past midnight. I wasn't awake for long before I slept about 1-7am.

Eating a whole portion does that these days: I nod off and then get out of synch.

I have just had: 2x toast, 2x scrambled eggs and 1/3rd of a tin of beans ... I might nod off in a bit

It was bright/sunny, it's now cooler/overcast.

moneyistooshorttomention

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yep

I'm 'petrified' that once it arrives it'll need something else I've not got - some magic lead, or connection or something complex - AND - the next day there'll be a huge sale and it'll have been half price.

I've wanted/needed a new PC for about 5 years...but wouldn't know where to start. My last one somebody pointed to one and said "Get that" and I did .... I don't have that informed person in my circle any more.

I've got a cynics take that goes "You know you're getting older when you're having to re-learn stuff you had already learnt - because things have changed". Even down to the tiny example of once upon a time there used to be just lightbulbs and that was that and you put one of them into the ceiling light in required wattage and sorted. These days - then we're talking about halogen lighting and "environmentally friendly" (yeh right:cool:) lighting and LED lighting. Agh - my head hurts.

Re the computer - a p.c. savvy friend helped me choose the first one. Not savvy enough to avoid that Vista system they had at the time:( - or maybe that's all there was. Cue for the Vista giving up the ghost finally only a few years later and computer no. 2 to buy. This time I went to a "little man" in a little computer shop that I'd been having in latterly to sort out problems with my computer. He asked me my priorities, eg "I expect you want it quiet" = yes. On from there about what other things I wanted and he said "I can make you up a package (ie the "box thing" as I call it/screen/etc for £x) and I agreed to that and he did it.

So maybe going to another "little man in a little computer shop" and giving him your basic idea of what you want and getting him (whoops - could be "her"...ahem) to make one up for you.

Only thing I'd say is = get a large computer screen in the first place and, preferably, with the fancy "wotsits" (whatever it's called) that is in the one I just got to enable decent quality viewing of tv channels/YouTube.

Farway

caronc wrote: »

Mr Crab has been dealt with so there is a nice tub in the fridge for tomorrow and his shell is in the freezer for stock.

And be really MSE if you smoke, use it as an ash tray when done:D

Couple of big suprises yesterday, the Morrison's "Chinese for one" I had was delish, if I never knew it was from a pinged packet it could easly have fooled me as a Chinese chuck a way. Only fly in ointment was muggins here upping the bottle of soy sauce on it without realising it came out like Niagara and not Angel's tears. So def on my list to buy again

Second suprise was I did get round to making the banana loaf, two less in the mountian now. And it turned out better than I have ever made before, not sure why, perhaps it was not using a mixer as I normally do? I just stirred it all up with teh spud masher I used to squidge the bananas



I added the leaves digitally, not that good a cook

Today was back to toast & marmalade routine, lunch was the cold other half of yesterday's pizza, with remnants of the coleslaw tub LO from during the week and a fresh tom

Dinner is a blow out job, YS salt & pepper crusted roast pork joint with fresh veggies that I will steam. The pork should see me for at least two days. I thought I had a packet of stuffing somewhere but seems it has been used and not replaced, but as us CFO folk know, no one else to blame for that

Now off to prep the veg & get pork out of fridge to get take chill off it before popping it in

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

Morrison's "Chinese for one" I had was delish, if I never knew it was from a pinged packet it could easly have fooled me as a Chinese chuck a way.

I'll go look those up on their website. Don't be tempted by A1dis one (£1.59), it's pants.

.... banana loaf

I usually just look at how long they take to bake and think "meh" .... it's just extra calories to make that. I toy with the idea of making it into buns, or using a slow cooker to cook it - and I end up not bothering.

.... toast & marmalade ....cold other half of yesterday's pizza, ....remnants of the coleslaw ... a fresh tom

Ah ... regular use-it-up because you have to food.

I thought I had a packet of stuffing somewhere

That's something I've always got. Usually the 12-15p own brand packets, although I was "gifted" some posher stuff from somebody that buys way too much and then doesn't like to eat it if it's close to the use by date.

I could nuke some veggies and spuds and do stuffing and yorkies and gravy with that for tea. I don't need meat, but if I did then I could stick a burger on the side, that's a bit like roast beef isn't it

caronc

Afternoon everyone,

Farway your banana loaf looks fab could I have slice with butter and cheese on it please?:D

Crab salad baguette was really tasty, it was only a small crab so not much meat but more than enough for some picking as I shelled it and lunch today.

Weather is closing in so I'm definitely going to make soup for tomorrow, I've loads of veg as I stocked up when it was goig cheap for Easter so I think either veg broth or leek & tattie will be made.

I'm trying to work out how much egg mix I need for my quiche, I treated myself with Christmas vouchers to a long narrowish rectangular tart tin that I want to use - think I'll need to fill it with water so see how much it holds and work back from there. I'm just doing a simple chopped bacon, spring onion and cheese one so not loads of filling so I don't want it to look skimpy!

I've a pork chop defrosting for later not sure what I'm having with but I've cabbage left from making coleslaw last week so may just go for some of that with either mash from the freezer or steamed charlottes.:)

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

I'm trying to work out how much egg mix I need for my quiche.... rectangular tart tin that I want to use

Yes, that's the annoying thing with recipes.... needing to know how much to mix up so it fits

Or, you could just mix up what you think will fit - and if you've any left over, then pop it into a pot and cook alongside as a tiny "crustless" one... saves you faffing with water and maths

My "basic go to" ratio is, by weight, crack eggs - and whatever they come to, add double that weight of full cream milk (blue top). But then you always look at it and fiddle anyway .... I add the milk slowly until it "looks about right", but you do need a starting point.